Hormones That make you thin

Just finished reading Jackie Warner's book - This is Why you're FAT

Here is a recap to help you understand the role your hormones play:
Hormones that make you thin

HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE (Fountain of youth)
HGH forces your body to draw fat from your fat reserves first
HGH helps you grow more muscle cells, have more energy, more sex drive and great skin & Hair
HGH decrease as we age but Diet & Strength Training can boost it
Cut Back on carbs at night
Get a good night sleep (deep sleep produces HGH)
Dont' drink caffeine past 3:00 in the day
Eat Casein rich foods like cottage cheese & Lean proteins

TESTOSTERONE (Muscle Builder)
Made in our Ovaries and adrenal glands
Boosts energy, sex drive, strengthens bones, lifts depression
Eat beta-carotene rich foods, boron containing foods (fruit, prunes, nuts legumes)
Watch your fat intake, choose mono saturated & polyunsaturated fats in nuts and fish
More than 2 cups coffee or 4 cans soda a day can drop your  levels

PROGESTERONE (Slim and Trim)
Low levels can lead to Insomnia, weight gain, high sugar food cravings
Eat lots of B6 vitamin - bananas, avocados, spinach, tomatoes, almonds, eggs, seeds, beans


Hormones that make you FAT

INSULIN (Spikes make you fat)
Insulin rises and falls according to what you eat, especially carbs, too much insulin and your body will store fat
Your goal is an even flow of insulin with out the sugar spikes
Eat 3 small meals and 2 snacks daily,  add fibre, chia seeds, oatmeal, exercise to drive insulin down


ESTROGEN (balance it to be thin)
Too much slows the metabolism and thyroid, leads to weight gain and cellulite, and fluid retention
Can cause Estrogen Dominance
Processed foods and refined sugar, alcohol and too much caffeine, some plastic containers, some dairy products that feed their animal Estrogen compounds
To get the slim down
Eliminate sugar and highly processed foods, choose organic meats, decrease your stress

CORTISOL (create stress fat)
Too high levels the body stores fat that reside around the belly
Eat casein rich cottage cheese, green leafy veggies, whole grain breads, mushrooms and berries

LEPTIN (the appetite tamer)
Appetite suppressant, stops testosterone from dropping, boosts metabolism
Avoid MSG, get at least 8 hours sleep nightly (Leptin made while you sleep)
Eat slowly (10 -20 chews) as it takes 20 mins for Leptin to kick in, eat fish and get 9 mg of Zinc


Jackie has a great diet plan in the back of her book to follow if you want to balance out your hormones 

Six All Star Nuts

Per 1 ounce serving

Almonds (160 Calories 14 g fat)
High in protein, calcium, iron, vitamin E and Monounsaturated Fat

Walnuts (190 Calories, 18 g fat)
High in polyunsaturated fats and Omega 3's, can help prevent type 2 Diabetes

Pistachios (160 calories 13 g fat)
Highes level of LDL lowering plant sterols, high in potassium and monounsaturated Fat

Peanuts (170 Calories 14 g fat)
Actually legumes not nuts, high in protein, and great for keeping cholesterol in check

Hazelnuts (180 Calories 17 g fat)
High in folate

Pecans (200 Calories 20 g fat)
Great for fighting high cholesterol

Studies have shown that people who snack on a few nuts through out the day actual eat less calories at meal times.

Readily portable just mix a few together and pack with you where ever you go.  Super healthy and appetite curbing!!!!!

Thanks again to Women's Health for the article  Healthy Nuts

The Sugar Trap

I love this first line in an article from Women's Health :
Alcohol comes with a warning label. Cigarettes are highly taxed. Saturated and trans-saturated fats require special labeling. But we shotgun sugar like its our job.


World wide sugar consumption has tripled in the past 50 years.  SO if you have a relatively healthy 2,000 a day calories diet you are still probably consuming 10 teaspoons of added sugar per day - yikes that is 156 pounds of sugar per year!!!!


Check your packaged food labels - watch out for the words fructose, cane sugar, fruit juice, simple syrup, sucrose and many more.  You find sugar lurking everywhere like condiments (ketchup, mustard), low fat salad dressing, tomato sauce, bread, crackers, cereal, flavoured yogurt and many more.  
Here's a few ideas to beat the addiction:


Read your labels...
       quick rule of thumb - if it has more than 5 g of sugar per serving think twice about buying it!!
Don't sip your sugar - this can help you zap 500 calories a day from your diet).
Think au naturel - curb your sugar cravings with fruit!!
Exercise to combat the cravings.
Use healthy sweeteners in place of sugar like real maple syrup, honey and perhaps Truvia.


When you eat a lot of sugar at once you actual crave more food and end up with no nutritional value for the calories consumed.  Your body stores this excess sugar as FAT.


Sugar is toxic  - just like caffeine, alcohol, and heroin - it is addictive!!!  So let's not gloss it over.....watch out for hidden sugars.  Click here to see the full article  Is Sugar Sneaking into your Healthy Foods?

What runners should you wear?

First determine what type of feet you have.  Here is a quick test you can do at home to know your foot type.

High Arch: You may underpronate (land on the outside of your feet), which can cause too much shock to travel up your legs. Look for a neutral or cushioned shoe.

Normal Arch: You probably have few foot or pronation problems. A neutral shoe is your best bet.

Flat Arch: You likely overpronate (your feet turn inward too much). Try neutral or stability shoes.

Now go to a knowledgeable store clerk and tell them your foot type and they can help you select the best runner.


Thanks to Women's Health   Check out the article Top Sneakers

Stop the transfats, sugar and artificial sweeteners in your coffee!!!!!  Stop that synthetic coconut or hazelnut flavour and go natural!
These creamers reek havoc on the weight loss regiment.  Here is a link for a healthy alternative so you can make your own coffee creamer O'Naturelle!  Enjoy  homemade coffee creamers

Just SPRINKLE these Powerful Super Foods!!

NUTRITIONAL YEAST

Cheese like flakes you can pick up at the super market.  They are high in protein, Vitamin B and help boost energy, fight stress and even lessen your risk of chronic diseases.

Just SPRINKLE on you r popcorn, salad, pasta, potatoes or scrambled eggs - EASY!!

CHIA SEEDS

These seeds taste Nutty and are packed with fiber,bone building calcium, iron and omega 3's.  They are great to help balance out your blood sugars.

Another to SPRINKLE on your cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, salad or stir fry. I get mine at Costco!

JICAMA

This is one sweet and crunchy veggie.  Rich in Inulin (a belly flattening fiber that is a prebiotic), vitamin C and even can help fight wrinkles.

Just peel and grate to SPRINKLE on your salads, stir fry, tacos, salsas.

The Perfect FIT for the Girls!!!!

Here is a great link from Women's Health Magazine to figure out the right Bra Size.  We need to support the girls properly, especially when we are working out!!!  Check it out by clicking here. measure yourself